By Tim Garratt
First published in 1949, George Orwell’s 1984 describes the dystopian future: a totalitarian society where those in charge constantly manipulate the truth. Set 35 years after its publication date, the novel starkly warns of the potential consequences of unchecked authority. Now, more than 75 years later, Orwell’s message remains alarmingly relevant on so many levels.
That enduring relevance is powerfully brought home in the current touring production of Orwell’s novel, created by Brisbane’s Shake & Stir Theatre Co., which made a stop at Parramatta’s Riverside Theatres last week.
Adapted by Shake & Stir’s co-Artistic Directors, Nelle Lee and Nick Skubij, and directed by Michael Futcher, 1984 pulls us sharply into the bleak, ostensibly war-torn future Orwell imagined. In this world, what was once Great Britain now forms part of the superstate Oceania, led by a dictatorial figure known as Big Brother. Anyone who dares to not fully submit to the regime is harshly punished by the Party — the ruling force behind Big Brother. The Thought Police employ constant surveillance, language and meaning are turned on their heads, and citizens are encouraged to report dissenters.
Winston Smith (Michael Walley) is an editor at the ‘Ministry of Truth’, where history is rewritten and which disburses propaganda to the masses to ensure the status quo is upheld. Winston harbours a secret desire to rebel against the Party’s rule, recording his thoughts in a diary. In Oceania, this makes him a thought-criminal.
Winston meets Julia (Chloe Bayliss), who he learns shares his hatred of the Party and his desire to overturn the social order. The two begin a romantic relationship, but while Winston is always acutely aware of the likelihood of his arrest by the Thought Police, Julia seems more capable of living in the moment.
Ultimately, the ‘criminals’ are arrested and must answer for their ‘crimes’; they’re incarcerated in the ‘Ministry of Love’. Can they remain defiant revolutionaries when confronted with the full force of the Thought Police and the Party? Can their resistance withstand the measures the State employs to keep its citizens in line? Or has any hope of breaking free from the totalitarian regime become not only impossible, but obsolete as a concept?
Clocking in at 100 minutes, this production is unrelenting in its darkness — both in tone and in its physical design — yet remains totally compelling throughout. Further’s production is reverent to the source material, taking great care to do justice to the desolate world Orwell conjured in his novel and ensuring its contemporary relevance is unmistakably conveyed. It makes brilliant use of video content (by Craig Wilkinson), which both accurately portrays the insidious surveillance state and serves as a highly effective device for illustrating Winston’s relentless inner turmoil.
Josh McIntosh successfully evokes a dictatorial state with a set dominated by concrete walls, reminiscent of brutalist architecture. Its expansive scale fully occupies the Riverside Theatre stage. Jason Glenwright’s lighting heightens the grim mood and underscores key dramatic moments, while Guy Webster’s soundscape richly supports the tone throughout.
The cast of five is impressive in bringing Orwell’s dystopian tale to life. Walley is outstanding as Winston, a man desperate for a different world yet resigned to the belief that change is impossible. His palpable despair helps to make his a compelling, if deeply unsettling, portrayal. Bayliss is also an asset as Julia, whose resilience and hope for a better future offer the only real glimmers that life beyond this oppressive regime might eventually be possible.
In the role of the enigmatic O’Brien, stage veteran Tony Cogin is appropriately unnerving, exhibiting a restrained intensity that serves the character well. Rounding out the ensemble, Steve Rooke and Abhilash Kaimal help make this a uniformly strong cast.
In 2025, Orwell’s 1984 is still a chilling depiction of what can happen when power is absolute and unchallenged, and those who wield it control the truth. The emergence of social media, artificial intelligence and the normalisation of alternative facts make it real and present. Shake & Stir Theatre Co.’s production is a gripping realisation of Orwell’s vision.
For more information on Shake & Stir Theatre Co.’s 1984 (including ticketing information), click here.
